London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Christmas travel chaos as two weeks' worth of rainfall expected over weekend

At least two weeks’ worth of rain is set to fall within the next 24 hours as flooding continues to wreak chaos on Christmas travel plans.

A severe weather warning for more heavy rain is in place across southern England from 12.01am on Saturday until noon on Sunday.

The Met Office said up to 30mm of rainfall could cause yet more disruptions for drivers trying to get home in time for next week’s festivities.

In total 101 flood warnings – where flooding is expected – have been issued for England, alongside 256 flood alerts, which warn flooding is possible.

Meteorologist Marco Petagna said ‘persistent rain’ is expected to continue through to the evening in the south east and south west, threatening more concerns for travellers.

He warned: ‘It’s not going to take much [rain] to cause more problems.’

Marco urged drivers to ‘keep tune of the forecast because the timings of rainfall could change over the next few days’ as the Met Office may need to issue further warnings.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin added the rain was coming from a ‘fairly angry weather system’ which will also bring some ‘very strong winds’.

The RAC had estimated around 31 million leisure trips by car would be taken in the days leading to Christmas, with warnings of bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the worst of it expected on the M1, M25, M5 and M6.

It comes after adverse weather on Friday caused the M23 to be closed between junctions 10 and 11, in West Sussex, for around eight hours after a watercourse burst its banks.

Several rail lines were blocked, while bus and road journey times in the region were expected to be longer amid the flooded roads.

Sussex Police described driving conditions in the region as ‘miserable’, and said there was ‘a lot of standing water on the roads’.

Devon and Cornwall Police said flooding across the force area made ‘a number of roads impassable’ and it urged motorists to take extra care and avoid driving into standing water.

Highways England has urged motorists to adapt their driving for wet weather by slowing down, keeping well back from the vehicle in front and easing off the accelerator if steering becomes unresponsive.

John Halsall, managing director of Network Rail’s southern region, said the combination of one of the wettest autumns since records began with a month’s worth of rainfall in the past five days has put the rail network ‘under enormous pressure’.

Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services were affected after rail lines were flooded.

The picture is a little brighter for the rest of England, however, with bright spells and scatters of showers expected on Saturday and Sunday, with a touch of frost overnight in the north.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×